Insulated pitched roof system and method of installing same

ABSTRACT

The present invention is an insulated pitched roof system for a sloped deck in which an insulating component is adhered to the sloped deck and the roof tiles are adhered to the insulating component with an adhesive, preferably a polymer adhesive. The insulating component includes a board or sheet material which is adhered to the roof deck. The insulating component is preferably adhered directly to the roof deck with a polymer adhesive. The insulating component preferably includes interlocking sides for forming a water tight connection between adjacently joined insulating components. Additionally, the insulating components include an end lap portion to form an overlapping portion between adjacent rows of insulating components. In a preferred embodiment, the overlapping portion is adhered together to form a unitary insulative and waterproof layer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Applicants have pending related U.S. application Ser. No. 10/294,959,published May 15, 2003. Applicants hereby incorporate by reference U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/294,959 in its entirety.

STATEMENTS REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a pitched roof system and method, andparticularly to a system and method for insulating the pitched roof andattaching the roofing components.

2. Description of the Related Art

There are two basic types of roofs: flat and pitched. Pitched roofs comein a few basic styles, all of which are relevant to the presentinvention. A duo-pitched roof has two sloping sides joined along the topwith end vertical walls called a gable end. This is probably the mostcommon form of pitched roof. If the end of the roof is also sloping itis termed hipped. If two sections of roof meet at an angle, such as aright angle, the junction between the two roof sections is termed avalley.

Various roof components are used as roof coverings on pitched roofdecks. One example of roof component is a roof tile. Roof tiles areextremely durable and provide significant aesthetic and decorativeeffects to the structures to which they are applied. Roof components orcoverings as described herein may be made of cementitious materials andalso brick, stone, clay, plastic, wood, metal, rubber or bituminousmaterials.

A typical pitched roof system includes sheets of wood, typically plywoodor decking material, nailed to the truss rafters to form a pitched roofdeck. Other pitched roof decks may be made with materials such as steelor concrete. Typically, the pitched roof deck is overlaid with a roofsubstrate made of a waterproofing material. Typically, the waterproofingmaterial forming the roof substrate is a roll goods membrane orunderlayment comprising one or more plies of asphaltic or modifiedbitumen impregnated felt attached to the pitched roof deck. The felt istypically attached to the pitched roof deck by nails and/or adhesive.Felt is generally made of wood pulp and rag or of asbestos, polyester orglass fibers. Self-adhering membranes, commonly referred to as “peel andstick,” may also be used. These membranes are generally modified bitumenimpregnated fiberglass or polyester fibers. Some pitched roof systemshaving steel or concrete decks do not require the use of a waterproofmembrane or coating.

Roof components are primarily secured to the pitched roof deck withmechanical fasteners. Nails are the primary mechanical fasteners forsecuring roof components to a wood deck. Typically, tile roof componentsare secured with nails, inserted through holes in the tile roofcomponent, driven into and through the roof substrate and wood deck.Mortar is sometimes used in conjunction with nails to provide holdingforce of the tile roof component to the roof deck. In either case, it isundesirable to drive numerous holes through the roof substrate and wooddeck since these nail holes provide a potential leak path in the pitchedroof system. High wind loading conditions also affect the roofcomponents secured with nails. In areas near salt water theeffectiveness of nails is diminished over time due to corrosion of thenails. Additionally, nails get loose over a period of time. Some decks,such as concrete or steel decks, cannot be nailed into. Non-nailabledecks (concrete, steel, etc.) use a wire tie or other cumbersome andexpensive system to fasten the roof components to the pitched roof deck.

As stated above, mortar or similar binders are often used as a secondaryfastener between tile roof components and the roof substrate. Usingmortar is a slow procedure and labor intensive as the mortar must firstbe prepared, typically at ground level, in buckets which must then beraised to the pitched roof deck, and then the mortar is applied to theroof substrate. The mortar adds unnecessary weight to the roof system.The set-up time of the mortar increases the time required to form thebond between the tile roof component and the roof substrate. Theinstalled tile roof components should not be disturbed until the mortarhas set-up as movement of the tile roof component affects the bond.Furthermore, the strength of the completed bond between the tile roofcomponent and the roof substrate can be unsatisfactory. Typically, anapproximate 60-pound tensile load applied transversely to the tile roofcomponent will break the mortar bond between the tile roof component andthe roof substrate. During high wind loading conditions, such as thatexperienced during a hurricane or a tornado, the tile roof componentsfrequently release from the roof structure and become life threatening,flying projectiles. During such events, the tile roof components arewidely strewn about and scattered throughout the area. The flying tileroof components result in additional danger during these devastatingevents and further increase the tremendous burden of clean up afterthese catastrophic events.

Assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,342 discloses a method of bonding tileroof components to a roof substrate utilizing polyurethane foam as thebonding medium. The method includes the step of applying under lowpressure a stream of two component foamable liquid polyurethane on aprepared roof substrate. The foamable liquid polyurethane has a densitypreferably in the range of one and one-half to two pounds per cubic footand a reactivity period in the range of one and one-half to fourminutes. The foamable liquid polyurethane is preferably applied at arate in the range of two to three pounds per minute. The tile roofcomponent is placed into contact with the foamable liquid polyurethaneduring the reactivity period of the foamable liquid polyurethane. Thebond between the tile roof components and the roof substrate with thepolyurethane foam is several times increased over the mortar andmechanical bonds.

It is desirable to provide an energy efficient pitched roof system at areasonable cost. Thus, it is desirable to have a pitched roof systemthat provides insulation to reduce energy consumption. It is alsodesirable in a pitched roof system to minimize the difficulty ofprecisely aligning and installing the rows of roof components to assurethe most aesthetically pleasing appearance of the installed roof system.Furthermore, it is desirable that the method of installation be a simpleoperation, non-labor intensive, economical and not require excessiveinstallation time. Additionally, the pitched roof system shouldwithstand the long-term effects of temperature and climatic variationsexperienced by the pitched roof system under normal circumstances.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the present invention includes an insulated pitchedroof system and method of installation for a sloped or pitched roof deckof wood, metal, concrete or other material. The pitched roof systemaccording to an embodiment of the present invention is energy efficientand is particularly suited to a roof having a 2:12 pitch or greater.

An insulating component according to an embodiment of the presentinvention includes a board or sheet material which is adhered to theroof deck. The insulating component is preferably adhered directly tothe roof deck with a polymer adhesive. The roof components arepreferably adhered to an upper surface of the insulating component witha polymer adhesive.

The insulating component preferably includes interlocking sides forforming a water tight connection between adjacently joined insulatingcomponents. Additionally, the insulating components include an end lapportion to form an overlapping portion between adjacent rows ofinsulating components. In a preferred embodiment, the overlappingportion is adhered together to form a unitary insulative and waterprooflayer.

The method of installing the pitched roof system according to anembodiment of the present invention is a simple operation, non-laborintensive, economical and does not require excessive installation time.The pitched roof system will withstand the long-term effects oftemperature variations and climatic conditions experienced by thepitched roof system under normal circumstances.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects, advantages, and features of the invention will become moreapparent by reference to the drawings which are appended hereto andwherein like numerals indicate like parts and wherein an illustratedembodiment of the invention is shown, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical roof tile that can be usedwith an embodiment of the pitched roof system of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a pitched roof deck having a roofsubstrate applied to the roof deck;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the pitched roof deckhaving insulating components installed on the roof deck;

FIG. 4 is a view of a pitched roof deck having staggered, overlappinginsulating components installed on the roof deck;

FIG. 5 is an end view of an embodiment of the present invention showingan interlocking connection between adjacent insulating components;

FIG. 6 is a side view of adjacent rows of insulating componentsinstalled on the roof deck with the rows of insulating componentstightly arranged with no gap therebetween;

FIG. 7 is a side view of adjacent rows of insulating componentsinstalled on the roof deck with the rows of insulating componentsarranged with a gap therebetween;

FIG. 8 is a side view, similar to FIG. 6, showing a portion of twoadjacent rows of insulating components installed on the roof deck withadhesive;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of the pitched roof systemshowing an upper row of roof tiles overlapping a lower row of rooftiles; and

FIG. 10 is a side view similar to FIG. 8, in section, showing thepitched roof system with the roof tiles installed on the insulatingcomponents.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The insulated pitched roof system and method of installing same,generally designated as 100, will now be described in greater detailwith specific reference to the drawings. Referring to FIG. 1, thepitched roof system 100 includes a roof component, designated generallyas 10. The roof component 10 shown in perspective view in FIG. 1 isknown as a semi-circular roof tile. It is to be understood that thesystem and method of the present invention 100 is not limited tosemi-circular roof tiles. Rather, the system and method 100 can includeroof components 10 of other types and configurations. For example, flatroof tiles and reverse curve roof tiles are just a few of the othertypes that can be used with the system and method 100. Typically, thetile components 10 are made from cementitious or clay materials. It isalso to be understood that the system and method of the presentinvention 100 is not limited to clay or cementitious roof tiles 10 butis also applicable to roof components 10 made from other materialsincluding, but not limited to, brick, stone, plastic, wood, rubber, orbituminous materials. Thus, it is to be understood that the roofcomponents 10 can also include expanded metal, fiber cement and asphaltshingles.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, the semi-circular tile roof component 10typically includes an interlocking connection at the first and secondlongitudinal edges 12 and 14, respectively, of the tile roof component10. Referring to FIG. 9, the second edge 14 of the first tile roofcomponent 10 mates with the first edge 12 of an adjoining second tileroof component 10′. This type of interlocking connection for tile roofcomponents 10 is well known in the art. The tile roof component 10 asshown in FIG. 1 includes a first pan portion 13 and a second pan portion15. Typically, the pan portions 13 and 15 extend the length of the tileroof component 10. It is to be understood that the pan portions 13 and15 are part of the illustrated roof component 10, but are not essentialto the invention.

A pitched roof deck, generally designated as 50, is shown in FIG. 2.Typically, the pitched roof deck 50 is comprised of sheets of plywood ordecking material 52 nailed to a plurality of truss rafters 54 orinstalled to other structural members or structural supports. Thedecking material 52 is typically in 4-foot by 8-foot sheets. Althoughnot shown, the sheets of decking material 52 are positioned end to endand side to side. Typically, a plurality of nails is driven through thedecking material 52 into the truss rafters 54. The truss rafters 54 aretypically on 24-inch or 16-inch centers. A sheet of decking material 52is thus nailed to approximately 5 or 7 truss rafters 54. It is to beunderstood that several truss rafters 54 have been omitted for clarityin FIG. 2. It is also to be understood that the roof deck 50 mayalternatively be constructed of concrete, metal or other material.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a roofing substrate 20 isapplied and preferably bonded to the upper surface of the deckingmaterial 52 to form a waterproof barrier or coating. The roofingsubstrate 20 can be a felt, commonly used in the roofing industry. Thefelt is a rolled goods membrane that is fastened to the decking material52, typically with mechanical fasteners such as nails and/or bonded tothe decking material 52 with, for example, tar or bitumen. The felt istypically applied along the length of the roof with an adjacent row ofthe felt overlapping the edge of the prior row of felt. The roofingsubstrate 20 protects against rain and moisture coming into contact withand passing through the pitched roof deck 50. Preferably, no roofingsubstrate 20 is used in certain embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, an insulating component 22 is shown in position onthe pitched roof deck 50. A half panel insulating component 23 is shownpositioned above the full panel insulating component 22. Although notrequired, the half panel component 23 or a portion of the full panelcomponent 22 is preferably used to form offsetting panel seams as shownin FIG. 4.

The insulating components 22 and 23 include a panel head 24 on the sidefacing the ridge, a panel tail 26 on the side facing the eave, an endlap portion 34, and preferably interlocking sides 28 and 30. For ease ofdiscussion, it is to be understood that reference to insulatingcomponents 22 also pertains to half panel insulating components 23unless explicit reference is made to full panel insulating component 22.Preferably, the insulating component 22 is made of rigid sheet material,such as polystyrene, polyurethane, polyisocyanurate or other similarmaterial. The insulating components 22 are preferably sized forconvenience of handling and with relation to the size of the roofcomponents 10. One size found to be preferable for a variety of tilecomponents is approximately 21.5″ in length (measured from panel head 24to tail 26) and 48″ in width (measured from side 28 to side 30) forreasons which will be explained below.

The thickness of the insulating component 22 can be varied to alter the“R” value of the system. The “R” value is a measure of resistance toheat flow through one or more materials. The “R” value is the reciprocalof thermal conductance which is defined as the heat flow through a giventhickness of 1-ft square material with a 1° F. temperature differential.Preferably, the thickness of the panel head 24 is the same as the heightof the shoulder 42. In the preferred embodiment of the present inventionthe panel head thickness and shoulder height is approximately ¾%

FIG. 5 illustrates the details of one embodiment of the interlockingside connection of two adjacent insulating panels 22. In the preferredembodiment of the present invention, the interlocking side 28 of oneinsulating panel is adapted to mate with the interlocking side 30 ofanother insulating panel 22. The interlocking connection prevents theingress of water through the connection to the decking material 52below. Referring to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the interlockingsides 28 and 30 are underlock and overlock sides, respectively, whichmate to form a flush, planer upper surface 32. Similarly, the matinginterlocking sides 28 and 30 also form a flush, planer lower end lapsurface 36. Preferably, the interlocking sides 28 and 30 have one ormore step portions 38 which provide a better waterproof jointconnection. It is to be understood that the interlocking jointconnection shown in the figures is merely representative of a preferredembodiment and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention tothe joint connection shown. It is appreciated that numerous otherconfigurations are known to those of skill in the art and may be used tojoin the insulating components.

Still referring to FIG. 5, the interlocking connection of the preferredembodiment will be described in greater detail. It is to be understoodthat the clearance between the mating parts has been exaggerated in FIG.5 to provide clarity. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the stepportions 38 are separated by groove portions 40. As seen in FIG. 5, thestep portions 38 of interlocking side 28 matingly correspond withopposing groove portions 40 of interlocking side 30. Preferably, thethickness of the end lap portion 34 is approximately ⅞″ with the stepportion 38 having a thickness of ½″ and the groove portion 40 having athickness of ⅜″ which results in the step portion 38 having a height of⅛″ greater than the groove portion 40. Additionally, the width of thejoint connection of the preferred embodiment is approximately 1½″ withthe wide step portions and groove portions having a width of ½″ and thenarrow step portions and groove portions having a width of ¼″. Onceagain it is to be understood that this is merely a preferred embodimentand is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to thispreferred joint design.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, two different insulation componentinstallation arrangements are shown. In FIG. 6, three rows of insulatingcomponents are shown installed in a “tight” configuration with no gapbetween the panel head 24 and the shoulder 42 of the adjacentlypositioned higher insulating component 22. In the tight configuration,the entire length of the end lap portion 34 extends above the adjacentlower insulating component 22. The insulating components 22 areinstalled in the tight configuration for use with smaller length rooftiles 10. In FIG. 7, the insulating components 22 are shown installed ina “spaced” configuration in which a gap is formed between the panel head24 and the shoulder 42 of the adjacently positioned higher insulatingcomponent 22. The spaced configuration may be required with greaterlength roof tiles 10 for reasons which will be explained below. It is tobe understood that this spaced configuration allows the same insulatingcomponent 22 to be used with roof tiles 10 of different lengths.Preferably, the length of the end lap portion 34 is approximately 5″from the panel tail 26 to the shoulder 42. In most instances, it ispreferable that at least 3″ of the end lap portion 34 overlaps theadjacent lower insulating component 22 in any configuration. Thepreferred minimum of 3″ of overlap is due to the desire to prevent rainand moisture from traveling between the overlapping portions of theadjacent insulating components 22 and contacting the roof deck 52. Thispreferred feature may be unnecessary in certain steeply pitched roofdesigns or areas of low rainfall.

Referring to FIG. 8, the insulating component 22 is attached to the roofdecking material 52, preferably with adhesive 60. The insulatingcomponent 22 may be adhered at one or more locations of the bottomsurface 44 to the decking material 52. The bottom surface 44 of theinsulating component 22 is preferably a substantially flat surface. Thepreferred embodiment of the present invention dispenses with the needfor the roofing substrate 20 as the insulating components 22 provide thewaterproofing integrity of the pitched roof system 100. However, if aroofing substrate 20 is used, the insulating components 22 are adheredin the same manner to the roofing substrate 20.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bottom surface44 is adhered to the decking material 52 with a polymer adhesive 60,preferably polyurethane, described in greater detail below. It is to beunderstood that the amount of adhesive 60 required to adhere theinsulating sheet material 22 to the decking material 52 will depend uponthe bonding strength of the materials and the environmental and/or loadconditions to which the system is being designed. As shown in FIG. 8,the adhesive 60 is shown adhering along the portion near the head end 24of the insulating component 22. The adhesive may be placed tocontinuously adhere across the width of the bottom surface 44 at one ormore locations. Alternatively, it is to be understood that the placementof the adhesive 60 may be discontinuous or placed to adheresubstantially the entire bottom surface 44 to the decking material 52.The adhesive 60 is preferably placed, typically by spraying, on thedecking material 52 and the insulating component 22 is then brought intocontact with the adhesive 60. Alternatively, the adhesive could beplaced on the insulating component 22 before placing the insulatingcomponent 22 in contact with the decking material 52.

Still referring to FIG. 8, preferably adhesive 60 adheres the end lapportion 34 of the upper insulating component 22 to the upper surface 32of the adjacent lower insulating component 22. In addition to preventingany capillary action of water from passing between the overlappingportions, the placement of the adhesive 60 at the locations shown inFIG. 8 optimizes the amount of adhesive used and bonds the rows ofinsulating components 22 together to form an integrated insulating andwaterproofing layer.

As is apparent from the drawings, the insulating components 22 and 23are installed beginning at the lower right corner of the pitched roofdeck 50 This is due to the overlapping nature of the insulatingcomponents 22 and 23 and also because of the interlocking connection ofthe insulating components 22, 23 shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. As previouslyindicated, the interlocking connections of the adjacent rows arepreferably staggered by using a half panel insulating component 23 asshown in FIG. 4. A lower row of interconnected insulating components 22are adhered to the roof deck 50 followed by adjacent overlapping upperrows. Alternatively, the roofing installer may prefer to install only aportion of the lower row and then portions of the upper rows to cover aportion of the roof.

It is also to be understood that the entire roof deck 50 may be coveredwith the insulating components 22 prior to the installation of the rooftiles 10 or the installer may choose to install the roof tiles 10 on theinsulating components 22 prior to installing the insulating components22 on the entire roof deck 50.

The roof tiles 10 are preferably adhered to the upper surface 32 of theinsulating components 22 with an adhesive, such as the polymer adhesive60. Preferably, the polymer adhesive 60 is a polyurethane described ingreater detail below. A method of attaching the roof components 10 tothe insulating component 22 and a typical polymer adhesive 60 aredisclosed in assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,342, issued to Murray etal., which is incorporated by reference. However, it is to be understoodthat the present invention is not limited to the method and adhesivedisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,342.

One method of attaching the roof components 10 with the polymer adhesive60 is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. Referring to FIG. 9, the roof components10 are installed in rows beginning along the lower edge of the roof. Oneor more pads or paddies 18 are located at or adjacent the position wherethe first pan portion 13 of the roof component 10 will be situated onthe insulating component 22 adhered to the decking material 52. The roofcomponent 10 is then adhered to the insulating component 22. Referringto FIG. 9, a worker places one or more paddies 18 of the polymeradhesive 60 on the insulating component 22 at a location at which theroof component 10′ is to be applied. The roof component 10′ is placedadjacent to the previously installed roof component 10 so that the firstedge 12 of the second roof component 10′ overlaps and interlocks thesecond edge 14 of the first roof component 10. The first pan portion 13of the roof component 10 is positioned in and above the paddy or paddies18 of polymer adhesive 60 during the reactivity period of the polymeradhesive 60. Due to the interlocking connection of adjacent roofcomponents 10 as shown in FIG. 9, the polymer adhesive 60 is notrequired beneath the second pan portion 15 of the roof component 10. Oneor more paddies 18 beneath the second pan portion 15 may be used toobtain an even greater bond between the insulating component 22 and theroof component 10, if desired. It is to be understood that the abovedescribed method may be preferred for the tile shape shown in thedrawings although other amounts, arrangements or placement of adhesive60 can be used. Further, it is to be understood that other tile shapesused with the present invention may require other arrangements and/orplacement of the adhesive 60 to bond the roof component 10 to theinsulating component 22.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the polymeradhesive 60 may be a foamable or a non-foamable one component or pluralcomponent polymer adhesive. Preferably, the polymer adhesive 60 is aplural component, liquid polyurethane foam. The significant advantage ofthe plural component polyurethane foam is being able to walk on theinstalled roof components 10 shortly after the roof components 10 havebeen installed without affecting the bond between the roof component 10and insulating component 22. The reactivity period or rise time of theplural component liquid polyurethane foam 60 of the present invention ispreferably about one-half to about ten minutes and most preferably aboutone and one-half to about four minutes. It is important that the roofcomponent 10 be properly placed during the reactivity period to achievethe required bonding of the roof component 10 to the insulatingcomponent 22. During the reactivity period, the liquid polyurethane foam60 is an expanding foam, which will fill gaps and imperfections. Theresulting foam provides excellent bonding between the roof component 10and the insulating component 22 due to the adhesive properties of theurethane. It has been found that a reactivity period of less than aboutone-half minute makes it difficult to timely place the roof component 10during the reactivity period.

The foamable liquid polyurethane 60 is preferably a froth foam. Frothfoam chemistry is well known in the art of urethane foams. The frothfoam may be formed by using blowing agents such as hydrogenatedchlorofluorocarbon R22 (HCFC-R22), hydrogenated fluorocarbon 134A(HFC-134A), or chlorofluorocarbon R12 (CFC-R12) or hydrocarbons pentaneand cyclohexane. Preferably, the froth foam 60 is formed by using thehydrogenated blowing agents HCFC-R22 or HFC-134A, and not CFC-R12 due toCFC-R12's reported deleterious effects to the earth's ozone layer.

Preferably, the froth foam 60 has a consistency similar to a foamyshaving cream. The froth foam is preferable over other types of foamsbecause it can be neatly and accurately dispensed without blowing oroverspraying onto other areas of the roof deck or onto the outer surfaceof adjacently installed roof components 10. The preferred liquidpolyurethane 60 with its shaving cream consistency does not run whenplaced onto a steeply pitched roof, but remains where it is installed onthe insulating component 22. This ensures that the adhesive bond will beformed at the appropriate locations of the roof component 10.Additionally, the froth foam 60 begins expanding immediately uponapplication to the insulating component 22 and results in a firm bondwith the underside of the roof component 10.

The liquid polyurethane 60 preferably has a density of about one toabout eight pounds per cubic foot. It may be desirable to minimize thedensity of the liquid polyurethane 60 to minimize the weight on the roofwhile still providing an excellent bonding of the roof component 10 tothe insulating component 22. It has been found to be most preferable tohave a foam density of about one and one-half to about two pounds percubic foot. The application rate of the liquid polyurethane 60 ispreferably about one to about six pounds per minute and most preferablyabout two to about three pounds per minute.

Referring to FIG. 9, an upper roof component 10 of a second row is shownoverlapping the lower row of roof components 10. In FIG. 10 a sectionview is taken of portions of three rows of roof components 10 installedon the insulating components 22. While not shown, the first pan portion13 may or may not rest on the insulating component 22 along its entirelength. Rather, the first pan portion 13 at the ridge end of roofcomponent 10 may be in contact or very near contact with the insulatingcomponent 22 while moving gradually away from the insulating component22 at the eaves end where it overlaps the lower roof component 10. Thefoamable liquid polyurethane 60 expands and fills the gaps between theinsulating component 22 and the first pan portion 13. The excess foamcontinues expanding and provides further bonding with adjacent surfaceareas of the roof component 10 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. A thin layerof foam may be present between the insulating component 22 and the firstpan portion 13 at the highest end of the roof component 10 depending onthe placement of the paddy or paddies 18.

Referring to FIG. 10, the expanding foam 60 also provides a bond betweenthe upper roof component 10 and the lower roof component 10 at theoverlapping portion where the expanding foam can fill any gap betweenthe two roof components 10. This further enhances the overall bondingcapacity of the roof components 10 to the insulating component 22.Preferably, as shown in FIG. 10, there is substantial alignment ofadhesive bonding from the decking material 52 to the insulatingcomponent 22 to the roof component 10 for optimal design. Furthermore,this alignment is preferably generally perpendicular to the slope of theroof. The alignment is shown in FIG. 10 at the overlapping portions ofthe insulating components 22 and roof components 10.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the panel tail 26 aids in ensuring that theroof tiles 10 are properly placed to provide a more pleasing aestheticappearance. During installation the ridge end of the roof tile is placedto abut against the panel tail 26 which ensures the installation ofstraight rows of roof components 10.

It is to be understood that the present invention is an insulatedpitched roof system and method 100 that can be used on pitched roofdecks 50 made of various materials, including but not limited to wood,metal and concrete. The system 100 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention includes an insulating component 22 adhered with apolymer adhesive 60 to the pitched roof deck 50. The roof tiles 10 areadhered with the polymer adhesive 60 to the insulating component 22. Theimproved roofing system 100 provides a well insulated roof for energyefficiency.

A few embodiments of a pitched roof system and method of installing sameaccording to the present invention have thus been set forth. However,the invention should not be unduly limited to the foregoing, which hasbeen set forth for illustrative purposes only. Various modifications andalterations of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in theart, without departing from the true scope of the invention.

1. A roof panel comprising: a panel having first and second opposingsides and third and fourth opposing sides, said first side having afirst interlocking portion and said second side having a secondinterlocking portion; and said fourth side being formed in an overlapportion, wherein said first interlocking portion of said panel isadapted to mate with a second interlocking portion of a second roofpanel and said second interlocking portion of said panel is adapted tomate with a first interlocking portion of a third roof panel, and saidoverlap portion of said panel is adapted to overlap a third side of afourth roof panel, with said panel and the second, third and fourth roofpanels being of identical construction.
 2. The roof panel of claim 1,further comprising: said panel having an upper surface and a lowersurface, said lower surface having a roof contacting portion and anoverlapping lower portion, said roof contacting portion and saidoverlapping lower portion being separated by a shoulder.
 3. The roofpanel of claim 2, further comprising: said panel having a thicknesswhich increases from said third side to said shoulder.
 4. The roof panelof claim 2, wherein said upper surface between said first and secondinterlocking portions is substantially planer.
 5. The roof panel ofclaim 2, wherein said shoulder has a height which is substantially equalto said panel thickness at said third side.
 6. The roof panel of claim1, wherein said panel is made from polystyrene, polyurethane orpolyisocyanurate.
 7. An insulated pitched roof system for insulating apitched roof deck and attaching roof components thereto, the roof systemcomprising: a plurality of insulating panels to be adhered and bonded tothe pitched roof deck or to a roof substrate attached to the pitchedroof deck, each said insulating panel having first and second opposingsides and third and fourth opposing sides, said first side having afirst interlocking portion and said second side having a secondinterlocking portion, and said fourth side being formed in an overlapportion, wherein said first interlocking portion of a first saidinsulating panel is adapted to mate with said second interlockingportion of a second said insulating panel and said second interlockingportion of said first insulating panel is adapted to mate with saidfirst interlocking portion of a third said insulating panel, and saidoverlap portion of said first insulating panel is adapted to overlapsaid third side of a fourth said insulating panel, with said first,second, third and fourth roof panels being of identical construction; afirst polymer adhesive to adhere said plurality of insulating panels tothe pitched roof deck or the roof substrate; and a second polymeradhesive to adhere the roof components to said plurality of insulatingpanels.
 8. The insulated pitched roof system of claim 7, wherein saidfirst and second polymer adhesives are identical.
 9. The insulatedpitched roof system of claim 7, wherein said first and second polymeradhesives are polyurethanes.
 10. The insulated pitched roof system ofclaim 7, wherein said second polymer adhesive is a foamable polymeradhesive.
 11. The insulated pitched roof system of claim 10, whereinsaid second polymer adhesive is a plural component, liquid polyurethanefoam.
 12. The insulated pitched roof system of claim 7, wherein saidfirst polymer adhesive is a single component polymer adhesive.
 13. Theinsulated pitched roof system of claim 11, wherein said first polymeradhesive is a plural component, liquid polyurethane foam.
 14. Theinsulated pitched roof system of claim 13, wherein said first and secondpolymer adhesives are identical.
 15. The insulated pitched roof systemof claim 7, wherein each said insulating panel includes a substantiallyflat lower surface to be adhered to the pitched roof deck or to the roofsubstrate.
 16. A method of installing an insulated pitched roof systemhaving a plurality of roof tiles and a pitched roof deck, the methodcomprising the steps of: adhering, with an adhesive, a plurality ofinsulating panels to the pitched roof deck to form a lower row ofinsulating panels and an upper row of insulating panels; interlockingadjacent insulating panels to one another in the lower row and in theupper row; overlapping a portion of the lower row of insulating panelswith a portion of the upper row of insulating panels adhering the rooftiles to the insulating panels.
 17. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising the step of adhering the upper row of insulating panels tothe lower row of insulating panels.
 18. The method of claim 17, whereinthe adhering is accomplished with a polymer adhesive.
 19. The method ofclaim 16, wherein the overlapping upper row portion aids in the properplacement of the roof tiles on the lower row of insulating components.